There are known apparatus/plush toys that provide for the incorporation of various electronic devices. Most of these known toys merely receive and dock the electronic device with the device's display visible and accessible to a user. Some known devices utilize a software application and the devices technologies to display images, for example, in the face of a stuffed animal, which gives the user an experience of interacting with the toy, and some devices additionally allowing the user to control the operation of the limbs of the toy with the received electronic device. It is also known to provide software applications downloaded to an electronic display device and operable with the technologies of the device, such as an accelerometer, etc., which enables a user to change screens during game play by tilting the electronic display device. None of the known devices however, employs a support mechanism within a toy housing which simply yet precisely disposes a received electronic device displayed upright in a first viewing configuration and in an oppositely directed second viewing configuration for alternate game play and virtual reality viewing.
A known apparatus/toy for receiving and docking a handheld device is exemplified and disclosed in GB Patent Application 2,469,860, published Mar. 11, 2010, to Luckybite LLP. A handheld device, such as an electronic device, i.e. a smart phone, is incorporated into a physical element, such as a stuffed animal, and positioned with the display screen of the electronic device facing cut-out areas in the physical element. The electronic device runs an application which controls video images displayed on the screen with the images appearing in the cutout areas with the application utilizing sensors of the electronic device, such as the accelerometer to align and select content to display on the screen. For example, a stuffed animal with cutout eye holes can become a docking station for a smart phone positioned with the display screen facing the cut-out eye holes. The application on the smart phone utilizes various technologies of the phone and interplays with the stuffed animal such that the animal face appears to have real animated eyes, registering touch input and displaying eye movement.
Alternatively, a monocular eye piece can protrude from a cutout in docking station where the electronic device is positioned so as to allow the user to view images on the inserted electronic device that appear to be magnified, or alternatively appear 3D if appropriate optics are included within the eye piece. The electronic device is supported in only one position within the physical element and the display of the device is viewed through only one opening in the physical element. Luckybite does not teach or disclose a physical element having both a forward-facing and a rearward-facing openings and a support mechanism within for receiving an electronic device and disposing the display of the device to be viewed upright from the forward-facing opening in a first supported position and also viewed upright from the rearward-facing opening in a second supported position for dynamic game play switching to intermittent periods of alternate virtual reality viewing with a simple rotation of the support mechanism.
Other known display devices have a docking station within a doll or plush toy and combine with an electronic device such as a smart phone and employ smart phone technologies to control images displayed on the smart phone. For example, the toy as exemplified and described in US Patent Application No. 2013095725, published Apr. 18, 2013 to Von Mohr et al., includes a figurine toy combined with a smart phone-type device with display controlling software apps, received into a receptacle with the display of the smart phone representing animated facial features for the figurine toy. The smart phone physically covers the static facial features of the figurine toy when received into the receptacle of the figurine toy, replacing the static facial features with digital animated facial features on the smart phone display screen.
Additionally, there are other known display devices, as exemplified and described in US Patent Application No. 20140273716, published Sep. 18, 2014 to Annis et al., having a docking station within a plush toy and combining with an electronic device such as a smart phone, employing smart phone technologies, such as the accelerometer, to control images displayed on the smart phone. The display screen of the smart phone is viewed through a cutout in a doll or plush toy, and can prompt a user to respond to various instructions or questions by touching the display screen, tilting the doll or speaking into the smart phone with a response.
Another known display device which docks a smart phone at the face position of an operable toy such as a dog is exemplified and disclosed in US Patent Application No. 20130040530, published Feb. 14, 2013, to Matsuno. The toy dog includes a body with four movable limbs, a sound output unit, a control unit, and a transmission member that transmits a signal output by the smart phone, in accordance with user input, to the sound output unit where the control unit controls the operation of the four limbs.
A known apparatus/plush toy, exemplified and disclosed in US Patent Application No. 20150306516, published Oct. 29, 2015 to Stocker-Edwards, is transformable between a first and second configuration is seen to include a movable member that is attached to a stuffed toy. The stuffed toy includes head and body portions with a generally happy face permanently affixed to the head. The movable member is attached to the stuffed toy at one end of the head and includes a generally cranky face permanently affixed to a side of the movable member. In the first configuration the cranky face is viewed as the movable member covers the happy face of the head portion, and in the second configuration the movable member is removed to reveal the happy face it was covering.
Additionally, software applications capable of downloading to an electronic device and operable with the technologies of the device, such as accelerometers, are known. It is known to include a software application in an electronic device which enables a user to change screens during game play by tilting the electronic device, as exemplified and disclosed in “Flipside Charade” Application. In “Flipside Charade”, the user supports the device on their person and tilts the device to change screens in a game based on the position of the device as detected by the devices accelerometer. The electronic device is not supported by a mechanism but instead is held in the user's hand and is not received within an apparatus/plush toy including a support mechanism nor disposed for viewing upright in a forward-facing opening and also a rearward-facing opening for dynamic game play with alternate virtual reality viewing.
It is also known to combine play on an electronic device with a plush toy. The electronic device includes software applications that can create digital images which mimic the look of the physical toy/plush toy. The software applications create a digital toy that looks like the physical toy to extend play of the physical toy into the digital world on the electronic device.
Significantly, known apparatus/plush toys do not include a support mechanism which simply yet precisely disposes a received electronic device displayed upright in a forward-facing opening in a first supported position and in a rearward-facing opening in a second supported position for alternate game play and virtual reality viewing. It would be desirable to provide an apparatus with a plush toy housing for supporting an electronic device for alternate facing configurations viewed through a first forward-facing opening in the plush toy and a second rearward-facing opening in the plush toy. The received electronic device includes an orientation sensor responsive to the orientation of the received device for changing the display of the received device. A support mechanism in the housing is responsive to a control on the toy and supports the electronic device between a first position with its display facing upright in the first opening, the first viewing configuration, and switching to a second position with its display facing upright in the second opening, the second viewing configuration.